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Kapoor

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Maharaja Mahtab Chand of Burdwan, 1860

Kapoor or Kapur, (Punjabi: ਕਪੂਰ‌, Hindi: कपूर‌) is the name of a clan of Hindus belonging to the Khatri caste. They are part of the "Dhai Ghar", meaning two and a half houses (3 being an inauspicious number) along with Mehra/Malhotra and Khanna, of the Kshatriya caste. The clan hails originally from the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent. They are now spread across the world and the surname "Kapoor" is a common one in India. Prominent families bearing the name "Kapoor" include:

  • The Maharajas of Burdwan in Bengal, detailed below.
  • The Kapoor family of Bollywood, five generations of theatre and cinema personalities;
  • Rai Bahadur Jankidas Kapur, who founded Atlas Cycles Ltd. in 1950 at Sonepat in present-day Haryana;

In addition, many notable contributors to modern Indian society belong to the Kapoor clan (see below).

The Maharajas of Burdwan

The erstwhile feudal lords of Burdwan in Bengal belonged to the Kapoor clan, and held the title of Maharaja. The dynasty was founded in 1657 by Sangam Rai Kapoor, originally of Kotli near Lahore in present-day Pakistan. The family continued as rulers of Burdwan until feudal estates were abolished by the government of India in 1955/56. During the three centuries that they held the estate of Burdwan, the Kapoor family extended their patronage to various scholars and artists, including:

Several famous buildings and tanks in Burdwan were built by the Maharajas of Burdwan, including the Sarbamangala temple, the Baikunthanath Siva temple, the Shyam sagar tank, the Ranisagar tank, the Bijoy Toran and the Rajbadi (palace). In 1882, the Burdwan Raj College was started in Burdwan, which was supported entirely by the estates of the Kapoor dynasty.

Rabindranath Tagore in his "The Hungry Stones And Other Stories" writes: "the Chhota Lord had been heard to say that in all Bengal, the only really respectable families were those of the Maharaja of Burdwan and the Babus of Nayanjore."

Kapoor family of Bollywood

Main article: Kapoor Family (film)

Prithviraj Kapoor (1906-1972), a noted pioneer of Indian theater and of the Hindi film industry, belonged to the Kapoor clan. He was born at Samundri near the town of Lyallpur in undivided Punjab. He moved in Bombay in 1928 and ended up founding a dynasty of movie stars and film-makers. In 1944, he started the Prithvi Theatre, a travelling theatre troupe.

In his personal life, he remained a traditional Khatri, with the women of his household remaining away from the glitter and decadence of the movie industry. That changed when his grandson Randhir Kapoor married a movie star Babita in 1971. Prithviraj Kapoor would not have approved of the life-style of his great grand daughters.

Prithviraj Kapoor's family mansion in Peshawar still stands, now in the possession of some Bangladeshis.

Prithviraj was awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for his contribution to Indian Cinema posthumously. His son, Shashi, has revived Prithvi Theatre in his honour.

Other Prominent Kapoors

Prominent people bearing the name "Kapoor" include:

Arts and Films

Science and Technology

Armed Forces

Lt General Deepak Kapoor, Vice Chief of Army Staff

Sports

References

See also

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